Burglary suspect dies after officer-involved shooting

Phoenix police officers opened fire on a burglary suspect in Ahwatukee Foothills Wednesday afternoon, officials said. That suspect died later Wednesday night.

Just after 2:30 p.m. on Jan. 16, officers responded to a call of a home burglary in the area of 4100 East Capistrano Ave., near 44th Street and Elliot Road, said Sgt. Tommy Thompson, spokesman for the Phoenix Police Department.

Officers set up a perimeter around the house and as they did so one suspect, identified as 27-year-old Cody Gene Criner, ran from the house.

“They chased him,” Thompson said. “At some point they got into an altercation. It appears he had some type of weapon and the officers fired upon him.”

Thompson said at some point Criner pulled a handgun from his waistband and pointed it at officers who fired at him. Multiple officers fired but it was unknown how many times he was hit. He was taken to a local hospital where he later died.

No officers were hurt in the incident. The gun Criner used is believed to have been a realistic-looking pellet gun, Thompson said. The officers who shot at Criner were described as a 38-year-old 10-year veteran, a 48-year-old 11-year veteran and a 47-year-old 21-year veteran.

Police originally shut down portions of the neighborhood to ensure there were no other suspects involved in the burglary. No other suspects were found.

Investigators learned Criner drove to the scene in a pickup truck. A witness saw him do something to the license plate of the truck before jumping over a fence to get to the back of the home, Thompson said. A ski-type cap found at the scene was believed to have been dropped by Criner as he was being chased by police.

Watch this discussion.Stop watching this discussion.

(1) comment

Sounds like a death wish but commiting a burglary is a felony. It is not a game nor is it a video game where you can shoot it out and never get harmed and hit replay. Pull a gun on a cop in real life, you will likely die.

Welcome to the discussion.

Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language.PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated.Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything.Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading to another person.Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts.Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness
accounts, the history behind an article.